Exclusive
Diamond market crash is Africa’s opportunity, not its crisis – M'zée Fula Ngenge
Global natural diamond supply is forecast to fall below 95 million carats this year, the lowest since 1987. For Dr. M'zée Fula Ngenge, chairperson of the African Diamond Council (ADC), this is not a death knell but a clarion call. In an exclusive...
12 october 2026
Tracr passes 5 million rough diamonds milestone as De Beers expands provenance push
De Beers Group's blockchain-enabled traceability platform Tracr reached a significant milestone in 2025, with more than 5 million rough diamonds individually scanned and registered, up from 2.8 million cumulative registrations reported in 2024. The...
28 september 2026
South African diamonds head to Hong Kong: SDT partners with BRINKS for JGW 2026
South Africa’s State Diamond Trader (SDT) has confirmed the country's participation in Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong (JGW) 2026 through a partnership with BRINKS. SDT marketing and communication manager Tsholofelo Gopolang Tselapedi...
14 september 2026
David Benderly: PermaScribe seeks to put trust mark on diamond table, not just girdle
In this interview with Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa, PhotoScribe Technologies president and chief executive David Benderly explains how PermaScribe differs technically from conventional laser inscription, its potential to strengthen security, and...
31 august 2026
The great reset: Paul Zimnisky on supply catharsis, De Beers' bargain and the case for natural diamonds
The natural diamond industry is in the throes of its most profound reset in a generation. Supply is plunging to its lowest level since 1987 and De Beers—once valued at over $9 billion—is reportedly being sold for as little as $1 billion.
Lab-grown...
10 august 2026
Market report: The problems of one country have turned into a problem for the entire industry
06 august 2012
According to various experts, rough prices declined by 8-15% in the second half, but still remain too high for diamantaires experiencing a liquidity crisis. Expert circles are increasingly holding to the opinion that diamond miners should continue to cut prices. But will this measure be effective?
Diamond industry faces tough times but a gleam of hope is still there
30 july 2012
There is no doubt that the diamond industry is somewhat stuck in the murky waters again, a development that has brought about sad memories of 2008, when gem prices dropped by about 60 percent due to the global economic downturn.
Another fight in offing over proposed export levy for Namibian mines
23 july 2012
The Namibian government is considering a new export levy for mines, which will see miners paying up to two percent tax on their income.
Revisiting ALROSA’s privatization
16 july 2012
Lately, the Russian Federation and Yakutia’s local press ran a number of controversial publications on how to privatize the stock of ALROSA. However, if we proceed from the official sources of information, the situation looks well-defined and predictable.
Will Botswana find substitutes for diamonds, as calls for diversification grow louder?
09 july 2012
Botswana which is regarded as the world’s leading diamond producer by value and the second largest producer by volume after Russia has come to a realisation that gems will not last forever.
Market report: Between a bird in the hand and two in the bush
02 july 2012
Last Thursday, three people at once mailed me one and the same link with a comment, "Have you ever seen this? It’s unprecedented!" As one may easily guess, the link was to the news that De Beers let its sightholders defer one half of the goods at the July sight and reschedule that amount to some other time. The company calls this a step towards the customers, because the current size of the sight exceeds their needs.
Diamond Deposits in Yakutia
25 june 2012
The major part of the diamond reserves (about 80%) and almost half of the world’s proved diamond resources are located on the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in Russia. Despite the fact that the greater part of these deposits lies in the extreme environment of the Far North and is characterized by complicated mining and operating conditions, the diamond grade of ores contained in Yakutia’s kimberlite pipes is normally higher while their quality is comparable with that of other deposits in the world, which makes their development economically efficient.
Yakutia - New Diamond Centre
18 june 2012
Currently, diamond cutting is performed in different parts of the world. The traditional centers of manufacturing polished diamonds and diamond jewelry, such as Belgium, Israel, India, Russia, the United States and South Africa, are now widely supplemented by new countries, including first of all China, Canada, and a number of diamond producing countries in Africa. Besides, the new regions of cutting industries may included the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
De Beers and ALROSA: Another way to compare efficiency of diamond mining giants
13 june 2012
It is considered that in terms of its financial performance De Beers is more efficient than its Russian competitor, ALROSA. Seemingly, there is an obvious premise for the existence of such an opinion. De Beers is producing rough which is on the average more expensive than Russian rough, and production costs in Africa are not as high as in Yakutia, where it is necessary to grapple with permafrost and groundwater. However, a comparison of accounting reports filed by these companies for the past year raises questions about how to measure this performance.
May market report. Demand for diamonds grows, but shuns diamond businesses
04 june 2012
Diamond prices continue to rise. During a conference call in mid-May, ALROSA’s management said that since the start of the year rough went up in price 5-7%. Both major diamond producers and the World Diamond Council state that the market is stabilizing, while the continuing growth of demand in China and India will push prices further up. It would seem that now the status of a diamond mining company looks quite attractive. However, those wishing to enter into this business are not lining up for some reason.
